Kihim Beach

Distance: Located approx 118km from Ravet, Pune.

Parking: Car parking space available near the beach.

Stay This place located near a lot of cheap homestays.

What did I like about Kihim Beach?

It is a calm and clean beach. It is a less crowded beach in the Alibag area. Nice view due to the coconut tree. Kihim Beach is one of the most popular Alibaug beaches with a long stretch of sandy beach intermittent by rocky stretches. The Khanderi and Underi fort's loom over the horizon at the Kihim Beach and along with the rocky stretches offer one of the most beautiful views of the setting sun. Quiet and calm. Good for walking and taking fresh air. chilling out here is a really fabulous experience.
THERE ARE CLEAN BENCHES TO SIT! 99% percent of the beaches don't have even one bench to sit on, and even if they have, they aren't in a condition to sit.

Activities To Do: Water sports are available here. Here rate is cheaper than Alibaug beach. -

Water scooter,
Banana ride, boat⛵ ride,
Speedboats can be enjoyed.
Horse cart,
Horse riding,
ATV bike riding.

Where to Eat at Kihim Beach?

There are small stalls on the beach that are good to eat snacks (Tea, coffee, Poha, Maggie, Missal, Pani puri, cocum soda, Lemon soda, etc). They can serve you at your sitting place if you sit on the beach near their stall. The neighboring restaurant is average.

What I did not like about Kihim Beach?

This is a rocky beach and the stones are very sharp, Not good for kids. Need to be very careful inside the seashore water. Please do not walk without shoes. water is not very clean due to black oily sand.

The next morning we also visited Kankeshwar Temple which is approximately 8km from the beach.

Kankeshwar Devasthan Temple:

Kankeshwar An ancient Shankara Mandir on a hill in Kankeshwar.

If you are using Google maps to reach here then do not search for Kanakeshwar Temple, it will take you to the dead end. Instead, search for "Kanakeshwar Temple Hiking & Parking" which takes you to the steps pathway. Ample open parking space.

Temple is on a very high height 3500 Ft from the city but that's what makes it unique. It takes 610 steps to reach the Shiva temple. Kankeshwar is also the favorite of trekkers.
Peaceful place and Fresh Environment. We started to climb at 6:30 AM and reached the top in 1.5 hours with a break at every 25 steps because we have 4yr old kid with us. The steep walk to 300 steps is more arduous than the remaining steps. All steps are nicely made for walking; after 300 steps, there are more shadows due to trees; Besides the Shiva sanctum, there is a Samadhi of a saint here. Good to have a cap while climbing; also there is no shop at the foothill, so better to buy at least one or 2 bottles of water before climbing.

The Shiva temple is the main temple with 4 feet high "Pindi" is silver plated. The height of the temple is 54 ft. The front gate has a Lion sculpture on both sides with a traditional lamp pillar (Deepmaal).

The main temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, there are 2 lions guarding the entrance along with a traditional lamp pillar which is illuminated at festive occasions. It comprises various small temples of Sri Kundeshwar, Lord Vishnu, Sri Balram Krishna, and Lord Shiva, Sri Paleshwar, Sri Hanuman.

Temple is built with stones and there are elegant carvings on the outer wall. The premises also include Nagaar-khana, Bheem Kunda, and a garden for flowers. Every year, Kartik Poornima in the Hindu calendar is the day of the festival. There is a large circular shape kund known as Ashtakoni Pushkarni which is located just behind Kanakeshwar Temple.

The other places to see near Kanakeshwar are the Maruti Temple, Gaymandi (Sculpture of a Cow), Temple of Devi Putrabai, Gaymukh, Brahmakunda and the plateau of Vyaghreshwar (a small temple of Lord Shiva), etc

Other than the temple the prominent attraction is the stepwell water tank, also called a "Pushkarni".

Temple opens at sunrise and closes at sunset, but it's preferable to start early in the morning. The total time taken for a complete journey is approximately four and a half hours. If you are going in the afternoon then ensure you climb down before sunset. It's quite dark after sunset and difficult to find the way down as there are no lights.

You can have snacks and drinks from nearby homes.